Campaign launched to reduce Island's obesity levels

Mon, 12 Jan 2015

Overweight people on the Isle of Man are being encouraged to start taking small steps to improve their lives.

It's part of National Obesity Awareness Week which starts today and will run for the next week.

A survey in 2013 found 20 per cent of five-year-olds on the Island were either overweight or obese.

The Department of Health and Social Care is running a range of events and activities across the Island to promote healthy eating, good nutrition and exercise.

It wants people to make lifestyle choices such as taking up regular exercise or cooking from scratch.

The awareness week forms part of a focus on the prevention of ill health on the Island as obesity can lead to other problems including diabetes, heart disease and high blood pressure.